The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has hailed London as the “best in the world” after millions of people attended concerts and festivals this summer.
Music fans from all over the world travelled to London to see some of the world’s biggest stars, including Jay-Z performing at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium over the weekend, Harry Styles’ record 12-date run at Wembley Stadium, Ariana Grande’s 10-night residency at The O2, and Bad Bunny at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
The summer of music has provided a huge boost to the capital’s economy. It has been predicted that Harry Styles’ record run at Wembley Stadium would inject £1.1 billion into the economy alone.
Last year, London’s music scene attracted 9.1m visitors across the year, bringing in £3.4bn in revenue to the capital – an increase of more than 27%.
Wembley Stadium alone welcomed more than 2.5m fans to a record 34-concert season, including the record-breaking 12 nights from Harry Styles, The Weeknd playing more times in London than any other city in the world and three nights from Luke Combs, which was the biggest country music event in UK history.
The O2 enjoyed its busiest August ever with 16 sell-out shows, including Ariana Grande performing 10 times across the summer – her only gigs outside of North America this year. Meanwhile, Katseye (pictured) played their first UK concerts on Thursday (September 3) and Friday (September 4).
Tottenham Stadium welcomed more than 500,000 fans, including BTS breaking the stadium’s attendance record with 125,923 attending two nights, Bad Bunny performing the biggest Latin American concerts in British history, and Jay-Z performing his highest number of gigs outside of New York.
London Stadium hosted more than 350,000 fans for Take That and Metallica in the space of eight days.
It has been another incredible summer for our capital’s music scene, showing once again why we are the best in the world
Sadiq Khan
Other successful events this summer included BST Hyde Park (featuring Garth Brooks’ first UK show in nearly 30 years), Brockwell Live events featuring headliners Lily Allen and Little Simz, and Grace Jones and Lenny Kravitz among those helping to attract more than 100,000 to the Palace Bowl Presents series.
More than 30,000 turned out at Burgess Park for the Boiler Room London weekend featuring Basement Jaxx, while Alexandra Palace’s outdoor summer season included more than 28,000 people attending two nights of The Streets.
Forthcoming shows include global Punjabi star Diljit Dosanjh at Wembley Stadium, South Korean boyband BigBang at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, and the Blue Note jazz club due to open its first UK venue in Covent Garden.
Meanwhile, the Music Venue Trust has reported a 2.3% increase in UK audience numbers compared with 2025, when there was a similar rise.
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “It has been another incredible summer for our capital’s music scene, showing once again why we are the best in the world. With record-breaking stadium runs, parks and arenas welcoming tens of thousands of people a night and crowds filling up grassroots music-venues, this summer has had it all. I’m proud that no other city in the world can boast such an incredible line-up and it’s why our music industry’s impact on our economy continues to grow, as we build a better London for everyone.”
UK Music chief executive Tom Kiehl said: "London has once again proved its status as one of the most exciting and vibrant cities for music on earth. UK Music data revealed that in 2025, a record 24.7 million music tourists flocked to concerts and festivals in the UK, spending an all-time high of £11.2 billion and supporting 74,000 full-time equivalent jobs along the way. After last year's barnstorming summer of shows from the likes of Oasis, Beyoncé, Dua Lipa, Coldplay and Kendrick Lamar, 2026 has served up another incredible and eclectic array of performances delighting fans from across the globe. From Harry Styles, Lily Allen, and Olivia Dean to BTS, Kasabian, Gorillaz and The Weeknd, London has once again hosted some of the biggest and best acts in the world.
“And the global appeal of our amazing capital looks set to continue, with the legendary Blue Note jazz club opening its first UK venue in Covent Garden and the government's Music Plan pledging to invest in the future of our sector and ensure its world leading status for generations to come."
Alex Hill, president and CEO, AEG International, said: “This autumn, The O2’s programme reflects the diversity and international appeal of London’s entertainment scene. This year, international artists have accounted for 72% of our music shows, up from 54% in 2022, with global acts including The Strokes, Noah Kahan, Asake, Hatsune Miku, Fally Ipupa and Karun Aujla taking to our stage, highlighting London’s continued strength as a destination for culture and live events.
“Alongside music, we’re delighted to welcome the Laver Cup back to The O2, as well as unique experiences including our Halloween takeover with Duran Duran and the first Pokémon Night Out EDM concert. As we look towards the end of the year, we’re proud to play our part in supporting London’s vibrant cultural offer, bringing world-class artists, sporting events and experiences to audiences in the capital and attracting visitors from across the UK and around the world.”
It has been a wonderful summer of live music in London, with a record-breaking 3.6 million fans attending Live Nation shows, from grassroots venues to Wembley Stadium
Denis Desmond
Mark Lynch, Wembley Stadium director, said: “This has been a landmark summer for live music in London, and we’re proud that Wembley Stadium has played a key role in the capital’s success. With a record 34 concerts – our biggest ever summer of music – we’ve welcomed over 2.5 million fans through our doors for an extraordinary programme featuring some of the world’s biggest artists. From Harry Styles’ record-breaking residency and major runs from Bruno Mars and The Weeknd, to country superstar Luke Combs and Punjabi music icon Diljit Dosanjh, the scale and diversity of this year’s line-up have been unlike anything we’ve hosted before.
“Our record-breaking summer has created a ripple effect across London, drawing fans from across the UK and around the world and delivering a significant boost to hotels, restaurants, pubs, transport and businesses across the capital – demonstrating the powerful contribution live music can make to London’s economy.”
Denis Desmond, chairman, Live Nation UK & Ireland, said: “It has been a wonderful summer of live music in London, with a record-breaking 3.6 million fans attending Live Nation shows, from grassroots venues to Wembley Stadium. Harry Styles’ record-breaking run, together with shows from Bruno Mars, The Weeknd, Jay-Z, Bon Jovi, Diljit Dosanjh, Bad Bunny, Ariana Grande and many others, has helped make this Live Nation's highest-selling summer of London shows, while making a huge contribution to employment, hospitality and the wider economy.
“Artists have produced amazing performances, giving fans of all ages the opportunity to meet like-minded people, form friendships and make lifelong memories through the live experience. We are looking forward to a great indoor season, and to doing it all again in summer 2027.”
Justine Simons OBE, Deputy Mayor for Culture and the Creative Industries, said: “Our capital’s music scene has served up something for every taste this summer. Across London music fans have taken in everything from international artists selling out stadiums to the next big star performing on one of our legendary grassroots music venues for the first ever time. This summer has truly illustrated music’s incredible power to bring people together and why there is no better place to enjoy it that in London.”
PHOTO: Rahul Bhatt
FOLLOW 
